Conduit plow



v`vFeb.1 s,192. 1,572,966

W. SCHAAKE' CONDUIT PLOW Filed July 5, 1922 A3 Sheets-Sheet 1 wnNEssEs: o mvENToR 5G I y a @.Bywnnm scm Feb. 16,1926. 1,572,966

n I W. SCHAAKE `vGONDUIT PLow Filed July 5, 1922 3 Sheets'Sheet 2 I 1 l I I 'I I l l I I I vl I I I l l* I i 12. 1a. l l l I I I I I I I l FISA. I I I @3.5.

I l I I I I I I l l I I l I l I I l I I I I I I E i I. 15 /14 .3225 i:::.i

O O O WITNESSES:l INVENTOR www william sewn@ BY /Zz TTORNEY Feb. 16,1926. 1,572,966

-v w` scHAAKE: A

coNDUT PLow F1166 July 5, Y1922 :5 sheetsfsheet 5 Pgfl.

0 O o o o o o o o/.15

wlTNEssEs; n INVENTOR "William sdm@ ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 16, 1926.

naiven stare.

WILLIAM SCI-IAAKE, OF PTTSBUB/GH, PENNSYLVANA, ASSIGNOBJ TO WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC c MANUFACTURNG CGMPANY, COEPORATON QF PENNSYLVANIA.

Application ined. :any 5,

To MZ whom t lmay concern.'

Be it known that I, WILLIAM SCHAAKE, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ot Pittsburgh, in the county ot Allegheny and State ot Pennsylvania, have in rented a new and useful Improvement in Conduit Flows, ot which the following is a specification.

vMy invention relates to conduit plows or current collectors that are carried by a vehicle and engage conductors lying in a conduit adjacent to the path along which the vehicle travels.

The object ot my invention is to provide a plow that is etticient in operation and embodies means for insuring against short circuits across a pair of conductors that are disposed within the plow.

Another object ot my invention is the provision of a plow wherein those parts which are normally subject to damage may be removed and replaced as units, without 1 the necessity of discarding the entire plow 'or any substantial portion thereof.

As shown in the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, in side elevation, ot a conduit plow embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view taken at right angles to that of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view;V

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of the main body portion of the plow with conductors imbedded therein;

Fig. 5 is a view taken at'right angles to that ot Fig. 4; i

Fig. 6 is a detail view of one of the side members for attachment to the lower end of the body member of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a detail view ot' one ot the tiller plates; Y

Fig. S is a detail view ot the shoe supporting bracket, and

Figs. 9 and 10 are side elevational and end elevational views, respectively', on an enlarged scale, of the terminal blocks which I employ. f

The apparatus comprises a body portion 12 of molded insulating material within which are imbedded conductor strips 13 and 14 that are bent outwardly, at their lower ends, in opposite directions, as shown more clearly in Figs.4 and 5. The conductor strips 13 and 14, at their upper ends, are bent around conductors that lead to appa- 1922. Serial No. 573,033.

ratus within the vehicle, (not shown) as indicated in Fig. 1.

The upper, reduced, portion of the member 12 is rotected from injury yby metal side plates 15 and by iiller plates 16 (Figs. 1 and 7). rihe filler plates 16 are disposed opposite edges ot the said reduced portien and serve to lill the spaces between the side plates 15 as well as to protect the edges et the member 12. The side plates 15 are cut away at points 17 and steel wearing plates 18 are riveted to the bars 16 at these points, the wearing plates 18 being thicker than the plates 15. rlhe plates 18 are so positioned that they will engage the side walls ot the conduit slot.

lfifhenever these plates become badly worn, they may be easily replaced without disturbing the other portions of the plow. rlfhey are relatively thick and protect the .side plates 15 against excessive wear. The side plates 15 are riveted to the iiller plates 16, as shown in Fig. 1.

Side members 19 and 20 ot insulating material are secured to the lower end of the body member 12, by means of bolts 22 and 23, and are each provided with an opening (Fig. 6) through which the lower ends ot the conductors 13 and 14 may respectively extend.

rlhe side members 19 and 20 are each provided with holes 25 that are recessed at their inner ends. Bolts 26 extend outwardly through the holes 25 and have their heads disposed within the said recesses so that their inner ends are tiush with the inner surfaces ot' the members 19 and 20, to permit such members to lie dat against the body 12.

rlihe bolts 26 extend through holes 27 of holes in their outer ends, as indicated more clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

Getter pins 32 extend through the holes in each pair ot the pins 29, in order to hold the lest-spring membersv 33 in place, as shown more clearly in Figs. l and 3. The ends otl the springs 33 have lateral projections 34 that engage the sides ot the pins to prevent displace-ment of the springs. The ends of the springs 33 may slide somewhat upon their supports, in order that they may yield more readily under compression.

At their middle portions, the springs carry contact shoes 36 and 37 that engage conductors (not shown) within the conduit.

The shoe 36 is connected through a -flexible shunt 38 to the lower endof theconductor strip 13, through a terminal block 39, the one endofthe shunt 38 being secured to the shoe member, as shown more clearly in Fig. 3,.,and the other end thereof being secured tothe terminal :block 39 `by screws 41 that extend into threaded holes Ll2 oit the terminal block 39 (Figs. 1 and 9.).

The lower end oi' the conductor strip 13 is secured'to the terminal block 39 by screws ,413 that -engage the threaded openings il of the vterminal block. The terminal block is secured toone of the brackets 28 by means of screws that lextend through the'holes l5 o-tlie terminal block and into openings lo of one of the brackets-28,'the terminal blocks, ilsillustrated in Figs. 9 and l0, being shown on an enlarged scale. The shoe .8T is connected t0 the lower end ot the conductor strip ll rthrough a flexible shunt 1LT and a terminal block 4S. rl`he manner in which this .shunt .is attached to `the tern'iinal lblock and the manner yin which the terminal block 4is secured to .one of the brackets 28 is the same as in the case ot the shuntBS and the terminal gblock 39 above described.

A pair of deliector bars 49 are supported by the bolts Q2. These bars arek so formed v`thatthey deflect moisture from the walls et the Side plates 19 and 20, and thereby aid .infkeepiiig the moisture fronrentering crevices between such side walls and adjacent pai-ts.

The shoes .36 Aand 37,1by reason of their ,resilient mounting may readily accommodate ithemselves lEto irregularities in the conductors with which they co-operate. Should one of ,the shoes or its supporting members .becomedamaged, it may be readily replaced without disturbing the other shoe. For instance, by removing the nuts from bolts 2G ,and `the screws .L13 from thelterminal blocks, `a .shoe and .its supporting` members .may be removed as a unit Vwithout disturbing any .of the other portions of the apparatus. Or,

by removing the cotter pins 32, and disconnect-ing the flexible shunt, the shoe and its .supporting .springmay be removed without 4`disturbing the mounting .of its supporting bracket 28. The examples here -given are by way of illustration, and Lvarious other replacements may be made with equal facility.

I have, therefore, provideda conduit plow Vthat is highly eiicient in its operation and which subjects the user to but small loss in lcase of -injury -to one ot the .parts of the plow.

Furthermore, the device is of simple construction and may be quickly assembled oidisassembled.

Various changes in detail and general arrangement may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the linvention as defined in the accompanying claims.

I claim as my invention:

l. A conduit plow comprising, in combination, a body portion ot insulating material within which a pair of conductors are imbedded, a detachable mounting secured to each side oii the .body member, a yielding support detachably .secured to each mountingand a shoe detachably secured .to each yielding support and having electrical. connection with one ofthe said conductors, said n'iountings being insulated from said body portion and conductor members.

2.*A. conduit plow comprising, in combination, a body portion ot molded insulating material, a plurality of conductor members ii'nbedded therein, `side plates ot' in` sulating material secured to the body poi'- tion, Aa bracket member secured to the side ot each plate, a yielding member secured to the bracket members, and a. shoe carried by cach ot the said yielding member, the shoe vhaving electrical connection with said conductor members.

A conduit plow comprising, in coniposite sides thereof, filler plates `disposed along the longitudinal edges ot the said body `portion, wear resisting bloc-ks extending vbeyond ,the outer sides ot fthe side plates, and

means for securing the wearingbloc-ks andthe side plates to Athe filler plates.

5. The combination, in a conduit plow,fol a body portion ot molded material having a pair of conductors imbedded therein, side members .of insulating material secured to the body men'iber at lopposite sides thereoi, a bracket detach-ably secured to each side member, a spring support detachably secured to each bracket member, a shoe secured to each of saidsupports, and a flexible electrical.connection between each shoe-and .one or" the said imbedded conductors.

1n testimony whereof, I .have hereunto subscribed my name .this lirstfday ol' July, 1922.

. WILLIAM sorniiinn.

llt

por: 

